About
The Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy is an evidence-based policy forum which promotes informed debate on drug policy reform. The centre works on a cross party basis and aims to draw the attention of Parliamentarians to the injustices and inadequacies of existing drug policy, as the demographic most averse to reform in this policy area.
There is appetite for a review of drugs policy among the public to look at alternative approaches to drug control. By all sensible measures, the current war on drugs is ineffective, failing to reduce either the unlawful supply of, or the demand for, controlled drugs; overwhelming the resources assigned to the police and criminal justice system; allowing the generation of vast profits for organised crime groups; while causing untold misery for the most vulnerable in our society.
The Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) intends to limit the social problems caused by the misuse of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs. Unfortunately, and unjustifiably, current drug legislation fails to classify drugs according to the scientific evidence on their relative potential for harm. Furthermore, after decades of criminalising people for the possession and supply of controlled drugs, there is still no convincing evidence that criminal penalties deter people from committing these offences. Our current approach to drug control is unscientific and ineffective.
There is growing evidence from around the world indicating that this need not be the case and there may be better ways to reduce harms to individuals and society. We advocate for an evidence-based review of current drugs policy, to establish the failings of current regulations and identify the most effective strategies to improve outcomes.
The Team
Alex Piot
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
Alex trained as a neuropsychopharmacologist with an interest in the use of controlled substances for the treatment of mental health disorders, harm reduction, and implementation of evidence-based policy practices. His interest in this field began when he investigated the interaction of ovarian hormones and ketamine in the treatment of depression. Alex then conducted research on the synaptic correlates of benzodiazepine tolerance and changes in brain morphology following repeated ayahuasca use.
He studied Experimental Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Clinical Neuroscience at UCL before joining the CEBDP in December 2022.
Timothy Davis
DIRECTOR OF PSYCHEDELIC POLICY & REGULATION
As the Psilocybin Rescheduling Project manager Timothy Davis’ primary duty is collating and presenting the evidence for a change in psilocybin’s status as a Schedule 1 substance under the Misuse of Drugs Regulation 2001. Timothy uses the case of psilocybin as indicative of a wider need for reassessment of the status of many other Schedule 1 substances, such as MDMA. Timothy also contributes to research on routes of access to medical cannabis. Timothy is training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with the SITE for Contemporary Psychoanalysis.
Timothy is a guide on the psilocybin for treatment resistant depression trials at Kings College London, as well as a welfare and harm reduction manager at music festivals in the UK and abroad. Timothy speaks and writes on psychedelics from a psychoanalytic perspective. Having graduated from Birkbeck College with an MA in Psychoanalytic Studies and with a BA Hons in Philosophy and Religion from the university of Kent, where he was president of the psychedelic society for three years.
Sam Lawes
OUTREACH & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Sam Lawes joined the CEBDP in November 2022 with a background in early years policy, trauma-informed practice and patient voice work. Much of his expertise comes from four years he spent at early years charity WAVE Trust. Here, he co-created a new trauma-informed training programme based on the latest global research, gained expertise in pathways to disadvantage and saw the overwhelming evidence for a public health approach to (among other things) drugs policy.
He also saw how the paucity of mental health support available in our country feeds directly into vulnerable people seeking self-medication by other means, including misuse of alcohol and other drugs. He is currently in training towards accreditation as a psychotherapist.
Our Values
We don’t just call for change, we instigate it through an evaluation of the evidence
01
Access & Availability for Science & Medicine
a) to improve safe, reliable, and affordable patient access to controlled drug medicinal products where clinically appropriate;
b) to improve availability of controlled drug products for legitimate research purposes, particularly where there is high research value;
02
Evidence Development and Application
c) to be designed transparently on the basis of evidence reviews on the costs and benefits of a range of drug policy models;
d) to be supported by robust, standardised evaluations to inform continuous policy adaptation and improvement;
e) to systematically collect data on controlled drug use and outcomes across all sectors of access;
03
Harm Idenitfication and Mitigation
f) to identify potential harms to public health, the individual and wider society;
g) to mitigate identified harms through evidence-based regulations, health interventions and public education;
h) to combat threats to public safety and order associated with organised crime networks;
i) to protect the young and vulnerable from the harms of drug misuse and from any unintended harms caused by policy;
04
Sustainable Economic Growth
j) to support the growth of legitimate UK industries working with controlled drugs for the public benefit;
k) to meet policy goals cost-effectively and to minimise expenditure on drug control strategies that are not supported by evidence-based reviews.
Our Supporters
Working with us
The CEBDP is a not-for-profit, politically unaffiliated and non-governmental organisation dedicated to advancing evidence-based drug policy reform for the public good. Our supporters enable our research work to advance evidence based policy.
Benefitting from the natural overlap with delivering public good through evidence based reform our collaborators receive tailored advice, including specialised regulatory, medical and industry-related expertise from our team.
